The One that Got Away
by Inali Grimalkin
Summary: When love is lost there are two sides to the story, read to find out what happens when they remember 'the one that got away'.
1. Seto's POV

After she broke my heart, it was the little things that I remembered the most. The way our bodies fit together perfectly when we kissed, the way she'd look when she didn't know I was watching, the inexplicable, endearing things that would suddenly captivate her, like that scene in Romeo and Juliet, the one with Dicaprio. She would tear up when Romeo found out Juliet was dead, mouthing his anguish filled words along with him. "I hate this part" she'd say every time. "Love till death," she would say as we see the heartbreak Romeo feels. He takes one look at Juliet and just melts. His eyes are filled with wistfulness and longing and you can see that he knows how much he's lost.

But in the real world men don't have heartache like that. We feel it just as much, we just don't show it. For men it's a dark brooding beast. We don't wear our broken hearts on our sleeves, it suffers in silence and pretends it doesn't care. In real life Romeo probably would've gotten drunk and moved on. He forgot about Rosaline fast enough.

Even back then, my heart was steeling itself because I was afraid one day our love would be lost or abandoned. And she would be hoping for a reaction something like his.

And that day -a year or so after we'd broken up because of a fight so stupid that now I don't even remember what it was about- I was at a Chinese restaurant with a new girlfriend and there she was. Looking beautiful with some idiot who didn't deserve her. Did I melt? Could you hear my heart breaking?

No.

Though that was how I felt inside on the outside I was the same cold me. Even as I knew this girl I loved, still love, would go home and be in the arms of another man.

I knew that it was over and everything we had shared would never come back. It hurt like Hell. Even though my heart felt like it was being cut out with a dull knife I acted as though we'd never met.

As a child I wasn't afraid to cry, or show pain. As a man it was the opposite. Even when I was alone I didn't cry. And it was for one simple reason. I was afraid that if I started I wouldn't be able to stop.

It wasn't because I felt nothing, it was because I felt everything.

Even after all these years while she's married, had children and grandchildren I never moved on. She introduced me to love and I falsely assumed it was easy to find again. And maybe it was for her, but not for me.

As I sit here, alone in my big house, my company run by my nieces and nephews, I know the truth. Serenity Wheeler was the one that got away.

* * *

**A little one shot, if I get enough reviews and people are interested I might do one from Serenity's POV. If it was unclear at all I had Kaiba be like Bruce Wayne in Batman Beyond, I always thought Bruce's being alone like that until his old age was incredibly sad and I realized Kaiba might end up like that too. Kaiba never married or had children, leaving everything instead to Mokuba's family. Anyway please review, tell me what you liked, what you thought of it, how you feel about Kaiba, etc. I want to know what my readers like and dislike.**


	2. Serenity's POV

I shook my head sadly to myself; somehow things always got brought back to him. My granddaughter, little Amelia, had fallen for Kazuki Kaiba, Mokuba's youngest son. It wasn't the age difference that bothered me, it was only six years after all and Amelia was nearly twenty. No, it was who he was. A pity really; he seemed like such a nice young man. And I had told him so as I was getting ready to leave my son's and head home.

"Why do you hate him so much?" I turned, surprised to see Kazuki walking a few paces behind me.

"Hate who?"

"My uncle. I know you don't have a problem with my father or me really, but I can tell that me being a Kaiba is bothersome to you and I can only guess it's because of my uncle. Is it because of how he once treated your brother?"

"Its ancient history," I replied shaking my head. I had long ago gotten over the way Seto had treated Joey.

"Then why?" the boy persisted. I sighed, it was an old tale, one nobody really knew or talked about. I thought about telling him it was none of his concern, but stopped myself. What would it hurt telling him?

"Have some tea with an old widow and I'll tell you."

* * *

Kazuki was a perfect gentleman, not that I expected any less. He opened the car door for me when we arrived at my home and got out two mugs while I set the water to boil.

Once the tea was made and we were both sitting at the table I smiled a little; he had patience far greater than his uncle did that was certain. "Has Amelia told you much about my younger years?"

"A little, she said you were very close to Yugi Moto and company, despite not being much a duelist; no offense," I shrugged and let him continue. "She said you were with a man named Taylor for a long time and that ended, then you married and the rest is history."

"Tristan Taylor and I dated for a while when I was in college, he was smitten with me. I may not look like much now, but forty years ago I was quite the looker," I said with a laugh. "I eventually ended it with Tristan. He was… hurt when I took up another relationship."

"With your late husband." Kazuki stated, I could tell he wasn't sure what any of this had to do with his uncle. I decided to make it easy for him.

"No, with a young man named Seto Kaiba." I held back a smile as I watched him nearly choke on his tea. "You seem surprised. He and I were the perfect match. He was cold and very reserved about emotional displays, whereas I was a warm and gentle soul. We were complete opposites and each others missing piece No one ever talks about it, not even Seto and I. We rarely see each other these days."

"So why did it end? You can't have been together for more than a year."

"We were together for three years," I said fondly. "I loved him with all my heart and wanted to be with him, start a family and be a normal couple some days. But for Seto, Kaiba, there were only Kaiba Corp and duel systems. Eventually that get's old. A time comes to close the briefcase and pass the mantel on, but Seto wouldn't – or couldn't. So I left and never looked back. No, I don't hate him. I hate what he's become. Such a great man... so alone. I don't like the relationship you have with Amelia because I don't want her to be hurt like I was."

"What made you leave?" he asked hesitantly. I looked at my dim reflection in the tea for a moment and gave a small, bitter laugh.

"It was ridiculous really, I don't know why I let it bother me so. And yet, even now I can still remember how it felt. we were engaged to be married and I asked him to spend a few hours with me, choosing colours, china and the like. Very dull, but necessary things that need to be done. I especially wanted the colours chosen that day so I could start shopping for the dresses and get the suits ordered." I stopped for a moment to steady my voice, even after all these years remembering that day hurt as much as it did then. "Seto told me he would hire someone to plan everything and all we had to do was show up, he was far to busy with work to plan it himself. I was upset that work was more important to him than our wedding and I realized then that I would always come second to Kaiba Corp. Call me selfish, but I wanted to be first. To know that my husband would drop anything for me if I needed him. I was scared that if I came second then what about our children? Would Seto be there for their birth or would he be too busy going over the latest prototype?"

"I promise I would never do such a thing-"

"I've lived a long life and heard many empty promises that were sincere at the time; actions speak louder than words my boy. Just remember what I said, don't take my granddaughter for granted or you just might lose her. Now you best be off, an old woman like me needs her rest." Kazuki nodded respectfully and placed his empty mug in the sink before I walked him to the door. As I watched him drive away in his shiny, expensive car I toyed with the ring I wore on my right ring finger. It was a beautiful white gold ring with a blue diamond in the centre. Perhaps I'd give this to them to use for their engagement ring.

As I headed to bed I couldn't help but think of the irony, that the man I loved and left because he was always leaving me alone was alive and well while my husband had been buried for eight years now. I turned out the light, laying my head down to look out the window and the familiar K.C. logo that shone in the night sky. Perhaps in another reality the right choices had been made and we were together happily.

* * *

**Serenity's pov! Very different and yet similar to Seto's. As you can probably tell I drew very heavily on Barbara Gordon from Batman Beyond and her story about her and Bruce. I took Gothic-Romantic99's advice and added what happened into the actual story, instead of just the author's notes.**


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